Joao Felix was in attendance to see Liverpool win the Carabao Cup at Wembley on Sunday.
In a post from Watch LFC on Twitter, the 22-year-old was pictured in the Liverpool end of the stadium. Fresh from scoring against Manchester United last Wednesday, he watched on as The Reds beat Chelsea on penalties.
With his hood up, a pair of sunglasses on and a snood covering his mouth, the Atletico Madrid star looked to be going incognito.
But that didn’t stop him from being spotted.
We see you, Joao!
The wrong fit
The player was signed for an astonishing £133m in 2019. But he has often struggled to nail down a starting spot for Diego Simeone’s Atletico side.
Felix has started just eight of Atletico’s 26 games in La Liga this season, registering three goals and three assists.
Since his big move to Spain, the Portuguese has began just 43 of a possible 102 La Liga games for Atleti.
His 16 goals in that time is not a brilliant vinidication of the huge money the Madrid club paid to sign him from Benfica.
Despite his struggles, this shouldn’t be put entirely down to the player himself. Felix is clearly a player with enormous talent.
Liverpool saw that close up in October. During The Reds 3-2 at the Wanda Metropolitano in October, Felix danced around Naby Keita to lay on Antoine Griezmann’s equaliser on the night.
He also gave a good account of himself in the infamous game between the teams at Anfield in March 2020.
But Simeone’s side play a notriously attritional style of football. That doesn’t always suit the slight and more technical Felix.
Felix on the move
His difficulties at Atletico have led to speculation that the 22-year-old could be ready to leave Madrid.
One of those potential suitors is claimed to be Liverpool.
As reported in FourFourTwo in December last year, Spanish reports have credited The Reds with an interest. The Daily Mail also cited Liverpool’s interest not long after.
Liverpool were reportedly seeking out a deal of £63m to take Felix to Anfield.
That’s still a huge sum for a club like ours. Only two deals have ever surpassed that figure in Liverpool history.
But it could also represent a bargain for the club. Felix is a hugely exciting talent who possesses the ability to be a superstar.
He could also be the perfect successor to Roberto Firmino.
Although Diogo Jota has stepped into Bobby’s shoes almost seamlessly, he isn’t a like for like swap for the Brazilian.
Felix’s ability to play between the lines, his close control and his dazzling skills make him a much more natural heir.
He has often played from the left for Atletico. But he also looks at home playing through the middle.
Whether the player taking in The Reds’ Wembley win is indicative of anything will remain to be seen. But there’s no question that his appearance will cause excitement amongst the fanbase.
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